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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DELANO GRAPE STRIKE & BOYCOTT, AND MARCOS MU?OZ'S LEADERSHIP
WHEREAS, on September 16th, 1965, led by C?sar Estrada Ch?vez, the National Farm Workers Association joined Filipino-American grape workers in a historic strike that included a series of peaceful, non-violent demonstrations in support of better pay and improved working conditions such as portable toilets, clean drinking water, and the stoppage of pesticide spraying during work hours; and
WHEREAS, those peaceful, non-violent demonstrations included a 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento, California where 150 people covered 15 miles per day and galvanized an additional 10,000 supporters on March 17, 1966; and
WHEREAS, Marcos Escalante Mu?oz served as an organizer of the march to Sacramento, and walked ahead of the marchers and would get residents of the local towns to provide food and water; and
WHEREAS, those peaceful, non-violent demonstrations sparked grape boycotts throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of grape workers were appointed to raise awareness and garner support for the grape workers in 10 cities where the 10 major grape producers were located; and
WHEREAS, Marcos Escalante Mu?oz served as Director of the New England Boycott for the National Farm Workers Association from 1967 to 1970, where in Boston his organizing efforts reduced the sale of grapes by 43% in his first two years, resulting in the most successful boycott city in the country; and
WHEREAS, since 1975, Marcos Escalante Mu?oz has been a stalwart of civic engagement in various communities in Cook County, and has been a pillar of the Little Village community in Chicago having organized 43 block clubs and was a founding member of the non-profit organization, Enlace Chicago; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby recognize and honor the 50th Anniversary of the DELANO GRAPE ST...
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